department news
CALIFORNIA GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY FIELD EXPERIENCE
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s I walked across the parking lot of the In-and-Out in Santa Nella, I silently congratulated myself on the incredible time I was making out on the road. We were well ahead of the second van on our route to Big Bear Lake, a 14-hour drive from HSU campus to the Southern Sierra mountain town. Moments later I stood looking in disbelief at a pile of shattered glass, trying to take inventory of what had been stolen from the van during our quick lunch stop. In April 2019, Dr. Matthew Derrick and I took 22 students to the California Geographic Society (CGS) conference, our annual trip to a professional geography conference as part of the Geographic Field Experience course. The CGS, established in 1947, hosts an annual conference featuring scholarship from students, professors,
dr. nicholas perdue and geographic professionals in a supportive environment. Since the inaugural conference, CGS has hosted meetings across California, in both urban and rural settings, reflecting the varied landscapes of California, and has approximately 350 attendees every year. The CGS conference is an opportunity for students to present original research, participate in a research poster session, and compete in both print and digital map design competitions. HSU students have historically performed exceptionally well. And no more so than this year: HSU students landed seven of the thirteen total undergraduate awards for excellence in geographic research and cartography (see side bar on next page). The importance of student participation in the conference extends beyond competition and
The gaggle of HSU geographers take time from the celebrating at the post-meeting awards banquet in Big Bear to pose for a group photo in remembrance of a their CGS conference experience (photo by Ryan Sendejas).
